COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kansas tops K-State in Big 12 showdown

Kansas guard Travis Releford cuts down the net after winning the Big 12 men’s NCAA college basketball championship game against Kansas State, Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas won the game 70-54. (AP Photo)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State proved this season that it can beat anybody in the Big 12, just so long as the team lining up across from the Wildcats doesn’t have “Kansas” written across its jerseys.

Jeff Withey had 17 points and nine rebounds, Perry Ellis and Naadir Tharpe added 12 points each, and the seventh-ranked Jayhawks pounded No. 11 Kansas State 70-54 on Saturday night, denying coach Bruce Weber’s team its first conference tournament title in more than 30 years.

The longtime rivals shared the regular-season crown, but Kansas won both of their previous meetings this season, leaving the Wildcats with a stale taste in the back of their mouths.

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It must taste even worse now.

“I just wanted this victory very badly,” said Rodney McGruder, who scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats. “We worked so hard, worked so hard to get here, just to let it slip.”

The Jayhawks, who may have wrapped up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with the win, took a 24-16 lead by halftime and then slowly stretched it in the second half. They were able to relax in the closing minutes, assured of winning their ninth Big 12 tournament title.

Kansas (29-5) improved to 39-3 against the Wildcats (27-7) since the inception of the Big 12, and has won the last 11 games that they’ve played in conference tournaments.

No. 9 MIAMI 81, N.C. STATE 71: Lorenzo Brown makes North Carolina State a dangerous team in transition with his ability to find teammates or take it all the way himself. He just couldn’t get the Wolfpack running against No. 9 Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals.

Brown struggled with his shot while the Wolfpack continued to bumble away chances on the break in Saturday’s 81-71 loss, a frustratingly flat performance for a team that had looked sharp through its first two wins in Greensboro.

Brown scored six but went 0-for-6 from the field. Worse, he had five turnovers as the Wolfpack finished with just six fast-break points.

“I don’t even think it was the fact that (Miami) got back,” Brown said. “It was the fact no one was running. I think it was a lack of energy on our half.”

The Crimson Tide will wait nervously to learn whether it will earn an at-large bid after squandering a 10-point, second-half lead Saturday and falling 61-51 to No. 13 Florida in a Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal.

The top-seeded Gators (26-6) advanced to the championship game Sunday. Alabama (21-12), the tournament’s No. 4 seed, will learn Sunday whether it’s included in the 68-team NCAA tournament field after failing to earn the SEC’s automatic bid.

“That’s why they call them invitational tournaments,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “We had an opportunity here to try to compete for a championship. Didn’t get it done. That’s all that was promised. After that, we have to wait and see.”

No. 15 NEW MEXICO 63, UNLV 56: UNLV coach Dave Rice wasn’t going to argue about a top seed for New Mexico. But he did want to put a plug in for the rest of the Mountain West Conference.

Rice’s Runnin’ Rebels came up short Saturday, losing 63-56 to the 15th-ranked Lobos in the Mountain West tournament final. But UNLV will be an NCAA tournament team, and Rice made it known he expects a good seed and some other teams from the conference to join the party.

“We should have good seeds and we should all have the opportunity for success in the tournament,” Rice said. “This is a tournament wide open for success.”

The same might be said about UNLV’s chances late in the Mountain West final. But Tony Snell scored 13 points in the last eight minutes and the Rebels misfired when they had the chance late.

The 6-foot-5 forward has soared while staying close to the ground at the Atlantic 10 tournament, carrying the Billikens to their first title game.

Evans nearly set a career high in points for the second straight day, and No. 16 Saint Louis’ defense locked down Butler in the second half for a 67-56 win Saturday.

“Don’t be fooled,” Evans said after forward Cody Ellis joked about his lack of leaping ability. “It’s just a choice. I like the ground game. I don’t know. I’m going to go out and dunk on them all just to prove you wrong on that one.”

Evans had 24 points and 11 rebounds after going for 25 and nine in the quarterfinals against Charlotte. He’s 15 for 19 from the floor and 18 of 20 from the foul line in the tournament.

No. 20 MEMPHIS 91, SOUTHERN MISS 79, 2OT: Donnie Tyndall got Southern Miss about as close as a team can get to clinching a trip to the NCAA tournament without actually doing it.

Selection Sunday will still be a nail-biter in Hattiesburg after the Golden Eagles allowed Chris Crawford to score 20 of his 23 points in the final 13 minutes and No. 20 Memphis beat Southern Miss 91-79 in double overtime Saturday in the Conference USA tournament title game.

Southern Miss (25-9) started the week 35th in the NCAA’s official RPI standings and picked up two more wins before losing the first double-overtime championship game ever at the Conference USA tournament. The Golden Eagles got in as an at-large pick last season with a 25-8 record.

“We’re heartbroken right now and I don’t want to become a lobbyist, but that was a borderline Final Four-type team we just lost to and we need to be in the NCAA tournament,” said Tyndall, in his first season as coach after replacing Larry Eustachy. “We deserve to be in and I feel that if we get in, we can win a game or two.”

No. 25 VCU 71, UMASS 62: Rob Brandenberg’s contested 3-pointer from the corner with the shot clock about to expire might go down as the worst shot VCU attempted against UMass on Saturday.

It was also the Rams’ biggest basket.

Brandenberg finally gave No. 25 VCU some breathing room against the pesky Minutemen, and the Rams won 71-62 to reach the Atlantic 10 tournament title game in their first season in the conference.

VCU (26-7) will face top-seeded Saint Louis on Sunday in a matchup of the league’s top two teams during the regular season.

Troy Daniels made six 3-pointers to score 20 points, and the Rams forced 24 turnovers.